PRESS RELEASE

Office of the Public Service Commission Celebrates the Resounding Success of the 2024 Public Service Day

PORT VILA, 06^th September 2024. The Office of the Public Service is thrilled to announce the tremendous success of its recent event, 2024 Public Service Day, held from August 28^th to August 30^th at the Convention Center in Port Vila. The event, which brought together public servants and the public at large was a resounding success, marked by huge turnout of attendance both at the event site and online through social media platforms.

The 2024 PS Day featured a diverse program ranging from booth exhibitions, school debate, Public Service Forum and Awards ceremony, which captivated attendees and sparked engaging conversations specifically between children, parents and the public at large with civil servants from all Government line agencies present during the 2024 PS Day event. Highlights included:

• Public Service Forum: Director Generals of the 13 Government ministries presented their agencies achievements in the past five (5) years embracing the PS Day theme ‘Strengthened Government Decentralized Services through Innovative Approach’ and what are current strategies and innovative approach that are in place for the next 3-4 years. All presentations were streamlined that allowed engagement from viewers in the provinces as well.
• Presidential Award Ceremony: A total of 118 long-term serving public servants were awarded a presidential medal for ‘General Service’ for more than 25 years in the public sector by the Head of State, His Excellency Nikenike Vurobaravu. These awardees were recognized for their hard work, dedication, commitment and the sacrifices they made during their tenure under the Public Service Commission.
• PSC Awards: The PSC has also given awards to Best Performed Staff, Best Float Parade, Best Booth Display and for the first time, the Organizational award. The Organizational award was judged based on Ministries Annual Report for the year 2023.
• School Visits to Government Ministries: A school visit was organized for the first time as part of events leading up to the 2024 PS Day. This program was initiated as part of the Career Day program giving the students firsthand experience of the daily operations of a government department. Schools with senior cycles were part of this school visit and the schedule was made according to the preferences expressed by these schools regarding their areas of interest and availability at that time. The school visit was a success with detailed coordination by the Shefa Education Office and VIPAM.

In essence, a special highlight of the event featured appointment of internship for 62 students for placement in the ministry or department of their field of study facilitated by the office of the Vanuatu Institute of Public Administration and Management. In his address to the interns, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mr. Martin Mahe reiterated the vision of the PSC is to ensure a robust government workforce that aspires to further improve and strengthens government service delivery at the provincial and national through its human resources.

“Through this initiative, we are guiding our younger generation towards their dream jobs that are also aligned to address the skills gap identified in the development progress of the country. We also assure these students that job opportunities in the public sector or private sector are guaranteed through the OPSC’s Succession Program,” he said.

In addition, the PSC made three (3) direct appointments of interns to permanent positions during the PS Day event.

The 2024 PS Day event was hosted in all the provinces with similar programs held concurrently to celebrate the public servants who are serving in the provincial headquarters as well as on the remote islands. PS Day 2024 provincial committees were mobilized with the coordination of OPSC’s Senior Human Resources officers on the ground and assistance of respective Provincial Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) which purposely discerned success throughout all the provincial PS Day celebrations.

 Attendees at the event had the opportunity to access government services at a ‘one stop shop’ at the event site, participated in the Panel forum as a vital component of the PS Day program, indulge in various networking opportunities and students were involved in career pathway activities. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the event’s organization, content quality and the networking opportunities that took place within a span of two and a half days.

The Chairman of the 2024 PS Day organizing committee, Mr. Ini Tabiaga acknowledged every person behind the success of the PS Day celebration.

“A huge shoutout to our incredible Senior Executives Officers for sharing their wisdom and insights. Your expertise has left a lasting impact on all of us towards implementing the celebrated theme and on-going focus on innovative programs, your line agencies financial contributions have been invaluable in making this event a success. Thank you for believing in our mission and contributing to its realization,” Mr. Tabiaga said.

“To our dedicated team of organizers both PS Day committee members, line agencies committees and provincial committees, you've worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was perfect. Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed, and we're grateful for everything you've done to bring this event to life.”

In his official closing remarks, PSC Chairman, Mr. Martin Mahe emphasized that this collaboration between the government through its line agencies, the private sector and the public must continue to ensure optimal enhancement of service delivery through the leadership of all Government Senior Officers and all public servants serving in the public sector.

“With a united government workforce, we will work together to bolster a strong forefront to address all challenges and improve livelihoods of the citizens of this country for a better tomorrow,” he said.

Mr. Mahe reminded all new interns and appointed public servants of the ‘dream of a parent’ that will only come into ‘reality’ through a public servant.

‘Dreams of a parent for his child to work in the different sectors can only happen through the workers both in the private and public sector’ he said.

‘We must renew our loyalty to the State, to the citizens of this country and not always forgetting our allegiance to the people of Vanuatu.”

The OPSC extends its heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors, partners, speakers of the panel forum, the schools who participated in the school debate, all public servants and the public at large who contributed to the success of 2024 Public Service Day. Their support and enthusiasm were instrumental in making the event a memorable and impactful experience.

Looking ahead, the OPSC is excited to continue building the momentum from the 2024 Public Service Day and looks forward to future collaborations.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION COORDINATES FIRST EVER VANUATU WORKFORCE PLANNING TRAINING FROM 9TH JULY – 11TH JULY

PORT VILA, 11 JULY 2024. The Office Public Service Commission coordinated a first ever and successful three (3) days workforce planning training on Iririki Island from the 9th of July to 11th of July 2024.

The workforce planning training is one of the first bilateral exchange program after the OPSC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Public Service Commission at the beginning of the   year. The MoU was a milestone achieved by the OPSC as part of its reform programs and vision to improve Vanuatu’s public sector workforce.

This training featured Dr. Ayeesha Abbasi, Assistant Director Workforce Strategy & Planning from APSC Centre of Excellence for Workforce Planning and Ms. Faafetai Vaevaina, Principal Human Resource Officer from Samoa Public Service Commission as presenters during the course.

50 Participants of the workforce planning training comprised of Human resource officers, executive officers, managers from government line agencies and officers from the OPSC.

Topics that were covered during the training centred around Establishing workforce planning, Workforce segmentation and Labour Market, Storytelling with Data and Implementing Workforce planning initiatives. These topics will enable the participants to establish a workforce planning for each of their respective ministries or departments, understanding the civil service workforce, understand the use of workforce data for future business needs and valuing the importance of building accountability and developing action plans for implementation.

In his official remarks, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission Mr. Martin Mahe emphasized the reform programs taking place at the OPSC to strengthen gaps in the human resource space.

“I commend the Australian Public Service Commission and its workforce planning team’s assistance in expediting this dialogue with the pool of executive officers, human resource managers, human resource officers and senior officers from the office of the Public Service Commission,” he said.

“It is crucial that a workforce strategy is established to address the challenges and bolster OPSC’s position as the Good Employer.”

OPSC’s Acting Deputy Secretary, Mr. Stephane reiterated that this training is an excellent opportunity to provide foundational skills to participants to better plan their workforce in addressing the challenges encountered in their agencies.

“The workforce planning training is basically understanding workforce data and analysing it to inform future demand for people and skills and then come up with a set of actions to meet that demand,” he said.

“The OPSC anticipated a good turnout from the training and is optimistic that with skills obtained from this workforce planning training, the participants will develop action plans that are realistic and achievable.”

PORT VILA, 24th May 2024. The Public Service Commission through the office of the Secretary has endorsed a 360-degree assessment to be conducted on all Senior Executives Officers 2023 Performance Agreement.
The Public Service Commission in its 10th meeting of 2024 approved the 360-degree approach to be undertaken for the assessment of the Director Generals, Directors, Provincial Secretary Generals and Town Clerks Performance Agreement. The assessment will begin on the 27th of May to 31st of May 2024.
As per Public Service Act CAP 246, section 18, subsection 1 stated that ‘the Commission may appoint a person to be a director or appoint a person to a position equivalent to the position of director. Subsection 1A also stated that ‘the Commission is to conduct performance appraisal annually for each person appointed under subsection (1)’. Hence the 360-degree assessment was initiated to enhance the management and a thorough verification of performance of these senior executive officers.

In addition, the Acting Secretary of the OPSC, Mr. Jonathan Iavere consulted with Executive Officers (EO’s) from all government line agencies earlier this week with the emphasis on their participation for this vital activity as it is the time of the year for the annual review of 2023/2024 performance for all employees serving under the Public Service.
“EO’s are expected to provide evidence according to the PA’s as it is essential for the transparency and accountability of these senior executive officers performances, this will also include inputs from stakeholders of each line ministries,” he said.
“This approach will fortify the documentation of Ministries annual reports and the overall performance of the ministries.”
The Public Service Commission’s commitment to improving its service delivery through effective and innovative ways is part of the reform process within the OPSC.
PORT VILA, 24th May 2024. The Public Service Commission through the office of the Secretary has endorsed a 360-degree assessment to be conducted on all Senior Executives Officers 2023 Performance Agreement.

The Public Service Commission in its 10th meeting of 2024 approved the 360-degree approach to be undertaken for the assessment of the Director Generals, Directors, Provincial Secretary Generals and Town Clerks Performance Agreement. The assessment will begin on the 27th of May to 31st of May 2024.
As per Public Service Act CAP 246, section 18, subsection 1 stated that ‘the Commission may appoint a person to be a director or appoint a person to a position equivalent to the position of director. Subsection 1A also stated that ‘the Commission is to conduct performance appraisal annually for each person appointed under subsection (1)’. Hence the 360-degree assessment was initiated to enhance the management and a thorough verification of performance of these senior executive officers.
In addition, the Acting Secretary of the OPSC, Mr. Jonathan Iavere consulted with Executive Officers (EO’s) from all government line agencies earlier this week with the emphasis on their participation for this vital activity as it is the time of the year for the annual review of 2023/2024 performance for all employees serving under the Public Service.
“EO’s are expected to provide evidence according to the PA’s as it is essential for the transparency and accountability of these senior executive officers performances, this will also include inputs from stakeholders of each line ministries,” he said.

“This approach will fortify the documentation of Ministries annual reports and the overall performance of the ministries.”
The Public Service Commission’s commitment to improving its service delivery through effective and innovative ways is part of the reform process within the OPSC.

OPSC Reviews Fleet & Housing Policies for Enhanced Management

PORT VILA, 24^th May 2024. The Office of the Public Service Commission (OPSC) conducted a comprehensive review of its draft Fleet and Housing Policies, with the goal of enhancing management practices and ensuring optimal utilization of resources.

Under the leadership of its recently appointed Manager, Ridley Magmui, Principal Fleet officer Mr. Steve Tete, Principal Housing officer Mr. Charlie Harrison together with a comprehensive committee, comprising representatives from the Department of Lands, Department of Finance and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has meticulously evaluated the existing Fleet and Housing Policies on May 6^th and 7^th, 2024.

The objective is to align these policies with the reviewed Public Service Staff Manual as well as the Public Service Act, Road worthiness Act, Lands Value Act and PFEM Act, thereby strengthening OPSC’s governance framework.

These policies, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, marking a significant milestone in OPSC’s commitment to effectively managed the asset of the government of the Republic of Vanuatu.

The Fleet Policy is designed to bolster the management of government vehicles focusing on key areas such as procurement, valuation, and standards in terms of trade-in and sale of government fleet.

Similarly, the Housing policy serves to improve the allocation and management of government housing. Through a structured process overseen by the Housing Committee that was recently endorsed by the Public Service Commission, the OPSC Housing Officers will ensure fair and transparent allocation of housing to entitled and eligible government employees only serving under the PSC. This will also facilitate better management of tenancies and timely renovation of government houses.

The Public Service Commission through the office of the Secretary of OPSC  is collaborating with other three (3) commissions namely the Teaching Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission and the Vanuatu Police Service commission on matters relating to fleet as well as housing.